Inference to the Best Explanation

Lipton, Peter

ISBN 10: 0415100291 / ISBN 13: 9780415100298

Editore: Routledge, 1993

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Book has light rubbing to edges of cover and spine and light rubbing to cover. otherwise book is in excellent condition with a glossy cover, crisp pages, and a tight binding. Codice articolo 1029338

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Titolo: Inference to the Best Explanation

Casa editrice: Routledge

Data di pubblicazione: 1993

Legatura: Paperback

Condizione: Near Fine

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Riassunto:

How do we go about weighing evidence, testing hypotheses, and making inferences? According to this work, we infer the hypothesis that would, if correct, provide the best explanation of the available evidence. Articulating the model of "Inference to the Best Explanation" requires an account of what makes one explanation better than another. Lipton distinguishes between the explanation best supported by the evidence - the likeliest explanation - and the explanation that would, if true, provide the most understanding - the loveliest explanation. He argues that an illuminating version of "Inference to the Best Explanation" must rely on the latter notion, and provides a new account of what makes one explanation lovelier than another. He does this by analyzing the structure of contrastive explanations, explanations that answer the form "why P rather than Q?". The analysis of contrastive explanation is then shown to support a strong version of "Inference to the Best Explanation" that reveals how explanatory considerations can be a guide to inference.